


Freedom

by FlightlessAngelWings



Series: Equal Partners [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Mild Language, Mutual Pining, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27621551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightlessAngelWings/pseuds/FlightlessAngelWings
Summary: The tracking fob beeped steadily in the Mandalorian’s hand as he led the way through the bustling marketplace. You followed behind him, not confident enough in yourself to stand right at his side just yet. It had been a year since the bounty hunter took you under his wing, and even though life wasn’t easy, it was the best year of your life. You gladly traded your skimpy clothing you were forced to wear for a fully covered outfit, complete with a leather armor chest plate, heavy boots and lastly the arm braces that Mando had gifted you.The Mandalorian was a tough man, but he was always kind to you. Plus, you were free, which meant more to you than words could convey. You showed your gratitude more through your actions though, which he understood you perfectly.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Reader, Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Series: Equal Partners [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820476
Comments: 2
Kudos: 49





	Freedom

The tracking fob beeped steadily in the Mandalorian’s hand as he led the way through the bustling marketplace. You followed behind him, not confident enough in yourself to stand right at his side just yet. It had been a year since the bounty hunter took you under his wing, and even though life wasn’t easy, it was the best year of your life. You gladly traded your skimpy clothing you were forced to wear for a fully covered outfit, complete with a leather armor chest plate, heavy boots and lastly the arm braces that Mando had gifted you.

The Mandalorian was a tough man, but he was always kind to you. Plus, you were free, which meant more to you than words could convey. You showed your gratitude more through your actions though, which he understood you perfectly. 

As the pair of you stepped up to the local cantina, the fob beeped wildly, and you both knew that your target was just beyond those doors. After a quick glance, Mando led the way into the dark and dingy bar. It was fairly empty, and the few tables that were occupied were filled with unsavory-looking people. And one of those unsavory people was your target.

Mando immediately moved toward the bounty, but a soft cry from the other side of the room distracted you. At the bar stood a tall, intimidating man who snarled at a young woman next to him. She looked absolutely terrified, and you immediately noticed the chain around her wrist. You scowled and clenched your fist, and you were about to walk over there when a strong arm held you in place.

“We need to focus,” Mando leaned in close to you before he added in a melancholy tone, “You can’t save everyone.”

Your gaze met his vizor and for a moment, the rage you had was pointed right at the Mandalorian, “Then why did you save me?” you snapped back. 

Truthfully, Mando knew what the answer was, but his words failed him, so he stayed silent. 

The tension between the two of you was palpable, but you soon recovered and swallowed your emotions down, “Right,” you broke the silence with a heavy breath and you refocused your attention to the bounty.

It was at that moment that your target looked up from his table and noticed the Mandalorian’s armor. His face dropped, and he knew right away that the two of you were there for him. He scrambled to his feet and tried to slip away without detection, but it was useless. You and Mando had captured plenty of bounties by now, and you learned to work together very well. Without any words needed, you were able to block the bounty’s path before he could run out and Mando easily knocked him unconscious.

“Nice job,” Mando complimented you as he tied the unconscious man’s hands together. 

You only half registered that he said anything as your gaze was back to the sleazy man at the bar. When Mando said your name to call your attention, you finally broke from your trance, “You go ahead. I’m going to wait here,” your eyes still never left the figure at the bar.

He sighed. Mando knew what was going through your mind, though he couldn’t blame you for the way you felt. “Don’t do anything reckless,” he told you as he waited for you to meet his gaze, “I mean it. Don’t get yourself into trouble.”

You took a heavy breath and held Mando’s gaze in his vizor for a long moment before you finally exhaled, “Alright.” Your voice was so soft that you weren’t completely sure if he even heard you.

With that, the Mandalorian hauled the unconscious bounty out of the cantina and down the road. Luckily, the client was local, so he was able to just walk to meet him. While he did that, you settled into a shadowed corner of the cantina and just watched the skeezy man. Every move he made only made you angier, and it made you think back to when you were that girl’s age and how you were treated similarly. 

He didn’t hit her while in public, but you could tell from how she reacted to his movements that it was a different story behind closed doors. Every brush of his hand made her flinch and made bile rise in your stomach. You almost got up at one point when he tried to pawn her off on another man, but he refused the advances, so you stayed put. 

You had a plan in mind, and you had to wait for Mando to get back before you could do anything. Plus, as much as you wanted to just go over and deck the guy, you made a promise to your partner, and you weren’t one to break a promise, especially to him.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you barely noticed when the Mandalorian came back into the cantina. His presence was only brought to your attention when he tossed a small bag of credits onto the table in front of you. You looked up at him with wide eyes as you jumped in your seat, your hand on your blaster. But you immediately relaxed when you realized who it was and you gave him a soft smile.

“Your half,” he said, “Ready to go?”

“Just a minute,” you replied with determination in your voice, “I have to do something first.”

Before Mando could protest, you had already grabbed the bag and swiftly made your way across the cantina. You kept your face firm and tried to make yourself look more intimidating as you approached the man with the young girl and threw the bag of credits directly in front of him. You placed your body between the girl and this man, as if you tried to shield her from him.

“For the girl,” you said plainly. The girl whimpered behind you, but you had to keep your resolve for her sake. You made a silent promise to her that everything would be ok, and you wouldn’t leave the bar until she was a free woman.

He was shocked for a moment, and he took a few moments to consider your offer as he shifted his gaze between the money and you, “That’s a mighty generous price for this one’s time,” he eyed you and up down, “I may even throw myself in for this rate.”

You fought back a shiver at his words and the way he looked at you, “You misunderstand me,” you shifted so that your hand hovered over your vibroblade, “I’m buying her freedom. You’re going to let her go and take those credits,” you hoped you hid your nerves well enough, but the longer he looked at you, the less convinced you became. The girl gasped behind you and tears filled her eyes.

Time seemed to crawl while the man stayed silent. You weren’t sure how much longer you could stand to be under his gaze, and you were about to pull out your vibroblade when he finally spoke, “I’m trying to figure out why a total stranger would buy a nobody girl’s freedom…” he drifted off as his eyes roamed all over your body until they landed on your hands, “Unless you’re like her,” a wicked smile appeared on his face as he reached out to grab your wrist, “I wonder what is hidden under those arm bands, you scrumptious thing. I bet you’re a fun ride.”

The man grabbed your wrist before you could pull out your weapon and slammed your arm against the bar. You heard the girl scream behind you at the sudden harsh movement, but you didn’t turn around. He was strong, but you were able to twist yourself out of his grip and you landed a punch to his face in retaliation. While he stumbled back, you pulled out your blaster, ready to shoot him. 

But before you could, the Mandalorian suddenly appeared in front of you and he quickly stabbed the man right in the gut. You stood frozen as you watched his body slump down to the ground in front of the bounty hunter. The rest of the cantina also stood still at the sudden burst of violence, but everyone soon turned back to their drinks and conversation when they realized it was over. In a shady place like this, a brawl was pretty much a weekly occurrence, so no one was too bothered. 

When he was sure the guy was dead, Mando turned to you, “Deal with the girl, but be quick. We don’t want anyone on our tail because of this.” With that, he left the cantina, and you and the girl were alone at the bar.

Your mouth hung open in shock as you watched him leave, but you then turned around to face her. Once you did, you realized just how young she was. She couldn’t have been any older than 18, but he already had bruises and scars all over her body. Your heart ached for her, and you sheathed your weapons and raised your empty hands, “I’m not going to hurt you,” you spoke to her in as comforting a voice as you could muster.

She looked at you with big, sad eyes for a few moments before she finally let her breath go. Her shoulders sagged down with her heavy exhale and she leaned forward into you. You held her while she let herself cry, and you could hear her whisper “thank yous” between sobs.

“Shh,” you soothed her before you brought her up to face you directly, “What’s your name?”

“Mylia,” she spoke in a meek voice.

“Ok, Mylia,” you told her as you pulled out your vibroblade, “We don’t have a lot of time, so listen to me,” you used your blade to cut the chain that bound her wrists, “The first thing you need to do is burn off your mark. And make sure you get it all,” you sighed, “It’ll hurt like a bitch, but trust me, it needs to come off.”

She just stared at you wide eyed before she swallowed hard and gave you a single nod.

You looked over to the bar where your bag of credits still laid, “And take this,” you grabbed it and handed it over to her without a second thought, “It’ll get you on a ship out of here and you can start a new life.”

Mylia looked down at your hand before she tentatively took the bag, “Is… Is it true? Are you really like me?”

“I am,” you said with a heavy sigh. You could feel the girl’s gaze on your arm band, and you rested your other hand on top of it, “You’ll be ok now. Leave now while you have the chance,” you added, which made her eyes snap up to meet yours. The pair of you shared a silent moment before you gave her a soft smile and pat on the shoulder and turned to leave the cantina. 

Mando stood just outside the doorway, as if he stood guard for you and the girl while you were still inside. Neither of you spoke, and you simply gave a nod to tell him you were ready to go. At first, you followed right behind him as usual, but he slowed his pace until you stood at his side. You looked at him with furrowed brows, but his body language was unreadable, and you decided not to question him.

The walk back to the ship was short, and completely silent. It was a different feeling between the two of you in that moment, as if you both had something to say that was held back. And it created a tension that you weren’t used to with him. It wasn’t until the door to the Crest was shut and your weapons were laid out on the table that you finally spoke.

“Look, Mando,” you started with a sigh, “I’m sorry for all that. It’s just…” you trailed off, unsure of where exactly you meant to go with your statement.

He interrupted with your name, “You don’t have to apologize,” Mando’s voice was sincere, “I should have realized how much it meant to you.”

“No one cares about women like us,” you met his gaze and he could see the pain and emotion in your eyes, “If I don’t look out for them, who will?”

The words “I care” were on the tip of Mando’s tongue, but he kept them in. Instead, he spoke with his actions and brought a hand up to your shoulder. Your face softened at his touch and he felt you relax under his hand. As your shoulders relaxed, his hand slid down your arm, and he stopped halfway to give you a reassuring squeeze before he finally broke contact.

The air between you two felt comfortable again, and you let out a sigh of relief. You were never worried that the Mandalorian would judge or betray you, but with your past you carried a heaviness with you. And you knew that he also faced hardships in his own past, although he never spoke about it. Perhaps that’s why you two got along and worked together so well; you understood each other’s pain. 

You trusted him. And he trusted you too. You were partners, and you would always be there for one another.

This time, it was Mando who broke the silence, “Shall we get out of here?”

Your eyes lit up as you smiled at him; it wasn’t often he used humor, but you loved whenever you heard a pep in his voice like that, “I thought you’d never ask,” you replied before the pair of you made your way to the cockpit and off this planet. 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my writing tumblr @FlightlessAngelWings for more!!


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